By Way of the Wind (Seafarer Books) [Hardcover]

Jim Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1991 | Series: Seafarer Books

The adventure begins when Jim Moore announces to his bride of two months that they will build a boat and sail to the South Pacific. Circumnavigating the world in a 36-foot sloop isn't generally regarded as an adventure to be taken lightly. However, lightly is just how Jim and Molly Moore took it and the story of their journey provides refreshing and amusing inspiration to all long-distance cruising sailors, actual or potential.

Most of the book recounts the adventures of their four-year voyage that started in 1977. They sailed from Oregon to California, Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Mauritius, South Africa, Namibia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Florida, Panama, Costa Rica, and then back to Oregon. Along the way, they met a varied assortment of people, sea and bird creatures, and some weather extremes.

The Moores brought to their journey a great deal of practical knowledge. Jim Moore's narrative expresses in the most entertaining ways how that knowledge was brought to bear. Jim became a boatbuilder, mechanic and carpenter, an unwilling ornithologist, amateur historian and raconteur extraordinaire. Molly, enthusiastic or dubious, was his perfect partner and foil. A delightful cruising adventure.

The hardcover edition of this book received some of the best reviews of any recent cruising narrative.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On July 4, 1976, Jim and Molly Moore slipped their 36-foot sloop Swan into the Columbia River at Portland for its maiden voyage. As they entered the channel, he reminded his wife that "starboard" was on the Oregon side of the river. Fourteen months later, these inexperienced sailors--the author, a nervous navigator, and his wife, a seasick mate--set out for the South Pacific and a four-year circumnavigation: first stop, Hawaii. After seven months there, they moved on to Samoa, which they found disappointing, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand. They took temporary jobs in Australia, then traced part of Captain Cook's voyage in Endeavor. Swan proved to be a remarkably trouble-free craft. The author describes the south Atlantic as a "boring stretch of salt water." The most harrowing incident occurred in the Caribbean when they were pursued by pirates, whom the author threatened with a shotgun. This fine adventure will delight blue-water sailors. Photos not seen by PW. Dolphin Book Club selection.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

An amusing, educational and inspiring cruising narrative. -- Cruising World, August 1996

Far from simply amusing, this first-person narration by Jim Moore, tells about a couple with no sailing experience but a commitment to a long-term dream and an addiction to the sea....The book is filled with practical knowledge and ingenious do-it-yourself tips for all amateur sailors. -- Yachting, October 1991

This fine adventure will delight bluewater sailors. --Publishers Weekly, March 1991 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 215 pages
• Publisher: Sheridan House Inc; 1ST edition (April 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0924486090
• ISBN-13: 978-0924486098
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,062,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK, but not great., January 28, 2005

By 

Jasen (Hampton Roads, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: By Way of the Wind (Paperback)

The book tries to cover too much territory. Over four years of life is crammed into just over 200 pages. That does not allow for much detail. While there are some nice anecdotes hiding in the pages, it is mostly "went here, saw this, did that, went on to the next place".

The book is written by a sailor for sailors. If you don't know a jib from a rode, or why broaching is a bad thing, or any number of other nautical terms, you will be lost and confused. I'm interested in sailing, but not a sailor so most of the jargon went right over my head. After a while some of it started to sink in, but the author assumes the audience is familiar with nautical terms and sailing techniques. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but limits the audience the book will appeal to.

While the author starts out as an inexperienced sailor, he seems to have forgotten that by the time the book was written. We are not part of this learning curve from sailing neophyte to salty dog.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent circumnavigation story, September 4, 2005

By 

Ken Marks (Bend, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: By Way of the Wind (Paperback)

The author has a comfortable and fluid writing style. He has a pleasant sense of humor. This book could have been longer as it skips too much of their voyage. The sequel is also excellent with the same gripe. Both have a lot of sailing terms, but those without the background can just ignore them.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A readable narrative of sailing experiences., November 9, 1999

By 

Ralph Scott McQueen (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: By Way of the Wind (Paperback)

If you are interested in cruising on a sailing yacht, "By Way of the Wind" is an excellent book to read. Jim Moore is certainly no heavyweight as an author, but he is forthright and clear in his description of events and discoveries that he and his wife made aboard their yacht.

The book is basically his recounting of experiences as they bought a hull, finished and fitted it out, and then sailed around the world in it. This was done with no prior experience and very little training. They learned a few lessons the hard way and he shares some of those lessons in his book. Any person who is thinking about going cruising could learn a few things from his book that would help with deciding whether or not cruising is for them. Learning from the Moore's mistakes could also make a first voyage a little more pleasant than it might otherwise be.

Jim Moore is an opinionated man from an older generation and it shows in his writing. If you are a narrow minded person who childishly expects the whole world to toe your political line, your are not likely to enjoy this book anymore than the first reviewer did. If you can overlook differences in viewpoint to see some humor or learn a few things then you will probably like his book. I enjoyed it and learned a few things.